Handover of Six Coordination Vehicles to Support Reproductive Health Priorities in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam - The Urgency of saving the lives of mothers headlined a ceremony today hosted by UNFPA Tanzania for the handover of six vehicles to support reproductive health programming. The handover ceremony, attended by Government of Tanzania representatives and development partners, was held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar es Salaam.

 “The expansion of reproductive health services and saving the lives of mothers are development priorities in the United Republic of Tanzania,” said Ms. Rehema Madenge, Dar Es Salaam Regional Administration Secretary and guest of honor. “We thank UNFPA for this useful donation of vehicles, which will facilitate reproductive health programme efforts.”

Agencies receiving the vehicles, all programming partners of UNFPA Tanzania, include the reproductive health sections of: the Ministry of Health; the Prime Minister’s Office (Youth, Labour, Employment and Disability); Regional Administrations in Dar es Salaam, President Office Regional Administration and Local Government: Dodoma; and the Tanzania Training Centre for International Health. The vehicles were requested by implementing partners and procured by UNFPA with the aim to support reproductive health coordination, field monitoring and capacity development.

Event speakers shared programming achievements of the past year, including the training of hundreds of health care workers in sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention of hundreds of maternal and child deaths through the provision of reproductive health and family planning services.

“Together, in convoy, we can move faster and farther in the provision of quality reproductive health services for all,” said Mark Bryan Schreiner, UNFPA Country Representative, United Republic of Tanzania. “These six vehicles will accelerate coordination efforts and rev up reproductive health services capacity, speeding progress toward our shared goal of rights and choices for all.”

Maternal mortality in Tanzania continues to be a major concern; in the year 2020, a total of 5,400 maternal deaths were recorded. The number of women who die in childbirth decreased statistically by more than 50 per cent from five years ago (when the rate was 556/100,000 live births, according to TDHS 2015/16), but is still very high. While this reduction represents significant progress, additional efforts are needed to achieve the goal of zero preventable maternal deaths. Through maternal health programming, UNFPA increases the capacity of government, civil society organizations and private institutions to deliver comprehensive maternal health services.

Earlier in the week one additional vehicle was handed over to the Ministry of Health in Zanzibar. Funding for these seven coordination vehicles, along with an extensive portion of UNFPA Tanzania Sexual and Reproductive health programming is provided by UNFPA Core Resources. More than 100 countries worldwide annually contribute to UNFPA Core Resources. These essential funds enable rapid response to urgent needs, working to ensure that no one is left behind. UNFPA thanks the Government of Tanzania for their recent pledge to UNFPA Core Resources, which recognizes the importance of joint efforts to provide rights and choices for all.

For further information, please contact:

Warren Bright, UNFPA Tanzania Communications Analyst, Mobile: +255 764 43 44 45, Email: bwarren@unfpa.org